Safe drinking water supply under extreme climate events: evidence from four urban sprawl communities

Abstract

In this study, the impacts of climate variability/change on water supply in three urban sprawl communities were examined. Using historical satellite climate datasets and social surveys, the study assesses the water stress during different seasons in urban sprawl communities. The primary data was gathered through structured questionnaires and focused group discussions (FGDs) in various communities throughout the study area. The stress of accessing drinking water was evaluated in different seasons and during climate extreme events. The correlation analysis was used to further examine the relationship between specific variables and people's perceptions of major observed climate change as they induce water stress. The results from local people's perception of climate change impacts on safe drinking water supply reflect meteorological analysis, which indicates that the mean minimum temperature has increased, 1.0° 1.3°C in the urban sprawl communities. The results indicate that age and time living in the neighbourhood have a significant influence on how people perceive and understand climate change as they induce water stress. These have resulted in much stress for women, who are forced to walk a long distance to fetch drinking water for the households, during the extremely dry seasons.